Aiko's P.O.V.

"Have a good first day of school, sweetie!" my mother, Minako Aino, told me. I'm starting a new year at a new school, Juban Middle. And my sister is starting at Juban High, which is the at same school, but on a different floor. I walked out the door like an average student on her way to school, and then dashed for the school, unlike any other student. I just hope this school isn't like the last one...

I felt myself run into something... or someone...

"Oh. My. Gosh. I am so sorry Mister...?" Mister what?

"Chiba," he said. I nodded.

"...Mister Chiba. I am so sorry for running into you and making your briefcase fall. Let me pick it up for you." By the look on his face when I returned it, he didn't even realize he dropped it. I turned and ran again. "Sorry!" I called back to him. I hope I'm not late...

I made it to school on time and ran to my class, Class 2. The teacher was already in the room when I opened the door and she was in the middle of attendance.

"Aiko Aino," she called as I dashed into the room.

"Here!" I exclaimed, running to a random seat and setting down my stuff. My name is Aiko Aino, but my mother calls me by my middle name, Aphrodite.

"Try not to almost be late, please," my teacher asked. Her name is Ami Mizuno, and apparently, she was a friend of my mother.

"Sorry..."

Time skip to lunch...

I felt tired. I had so many homework assignments to do...

"You're Aino-san, that girl who was almost late, right?" I spun around and saw a bluenette standing before me.

"My name's Dara Mizuno," she said. "My mother is the teacher, soooo..." She sat down next to me.

"I'm Aiko Aino..."

"Ai?"

"What?"

"Could I call you that?"

"Call me what?"

"Ai. It's the first two letters of your name, and it has a very similar meaning to that of your name. I think it makes a good nickname." Well... not being called Aphrodite for a change would be nice.

"Sure, Dara-Chan!" I responded.

"Just Dara, please."

"Ok, Dara."

"Whatcha doing, Dara?" asked a voice. I looked up and saw two other girls. One of them had raven black hair and the other one was a brunette.

"Ena, Bree, meet Ai," Dara said, introducing me by my new nickname. "Ai, these are my other friends, Edana and Brianna. I call them 'Ena' and 'Bree' for short." I nodded.

"Ok!"

We heard very loud voices from another group eating close by.

"Do you guys know what happened to Sailor H?" one asked.

"Some people say the new guardians chased her away," another said, spreading rumors.

"Yeah. That's very likely," a third person agreed. Sailor H? New guardians?

"Aiko!" Oh no... I turn my head around to see my sister and her group of friends. She was waving me over...

I went up to her to see what she wanted.

"I left my lunch at home," she told me. "Could I have yours?" Seriously?

"Why don't you share with one of your friends for a change?" I asked her.

"I said..." she gripped me by the collar and pulled me close. "Could. I. Have. Your. Lunch?!" she whisper-yelled. I sighed and gave it up, knowing that she was just hungry for a second lunch. She didn't even bother to hide her day's lunch!

"Thanks so much, little sis!" She patted my head and went back to chatting with her friends. I just went back to the bench I was sitting on earlier.

"What was that about?" Dara asked. I heard my sister and her friends laughing, and I knew they were laughing about me...

"Hello?"

"Sorry, Dara... it's just... my older sister treats me like a maid a lot of the time. If she spills her drink or drops something... if she sees me, she always has me do the work for her..."

"Well," Bree began, "That's weird..."

"Aiko!" Again? I went back to my sister.

"I left my wallet back home," she told me. "Could you lend me some cash?"

"Why?"

"I just need 5000 Yen. Please?" Why would she need so much? I barely have that much in my wallet!

"Fine..." I groaned and handed the money to her. She smiled and patted my head.

"Thanks so much, little sis!" she said, sounding like a recording. I began to walk back to my new friends when I was stopped.

"Aiko!" she called. I turned around and headed back over.

"I left something in my classroom," she told me. "Could you please go and get it?" I was about to go and get her thing for her when I was stopped by a voice.

"Why don't you just go and get it yourself instead of taking advantage of your younger sister?!"

"Yeah! She's right!" I saw Dara, Ena, and Bree speaking in my defense.

"This is none of your business!" I heard Amanda, my sister, tell them. "Back off!"

"No!" Ena yelled. "Your sister is our friend, and instead of treating her right, you have been treating her like a slave!"

"Let's go, Ai," Bree said, grabbing my arm and dragging me away, the other two following. The older girls just laughed and went back to chatting.

The girls dragged me all the way to the locker room.

"You need to stand up for yourself!" Ena yelled at me.

"If you don't," Dara said, raising her glasses and lowering them again. "You will eventually become compliant with anyone! Your future would be ruined!"

"Thanks, guys, really... but my sister won't be very happy if I don't listen and obey..."

"Who cares what she thinks?" Bree commented. "All that matters is that you do what you think is right." I thought about it for a while...

If I always obey, Amanda will never grow and mature... but if I don't...

...

...

...

This is a hard decision...